A fluid cooled heat sink device suitable for use with a semiconductor especially in high power systems including a heat sink member having a plurality of interior walls defining a plurality of passageways for a cooling fluid, with the heat sink member having an essentially flat surface and with the passageways being in heat exchange relationship with the flat surface. The passageways define a plurality of paths for cooling fluid with wide channel areas adjacent the flat surface.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A fluid cooled heat sink device suitable for use with a semiconductor, which comprises: a heat sink member having a plurality of interior walls defining a plurality of passageways for a cooling fluid; said heat sink member having a heat exchange surface and said passageways defining a plurality of channel areas in heat exchange relationship with said surface; wherein said passageways define a plurality of paths for cooling fluid with wide channel areas adjacent said surface; means for introducing cooling fluid into said passageways; and wherein said heat sink member includes a plurality of shallow overlapping pockets with essentially flat channel areas adjacent said heat exchange surface, to provide a unidirectional cooling fluid flow within each passageway and with a tortuous cooling fluid flow through the heat sink member, with the cooling fluid impinging on substantially the entire flat channel areas adjacent said heat exchange surface.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping areas represent a portion of the diameter of the flat channel areas.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the pockets are essentially round.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the pockets are essentially square.
5. A device according to claim 1, including an inlet channel communicating with said means for introducing cooling fluid, with said inlet channel contacting a plurality of said pockets, and an outlet channel contacting a plurality of said pockets and communicating with a means for transferring cooling fluid out of said passageways.
6. A device according to claim 1, including a wall between the flat surface of the heat sink member and the passageways.
7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the heat sink member includes at least two pieces connected together.
8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the heat sink member is a single member.
9. A device according to claim 1, including means to create turbulent flow in said passageways.
10. A device according to claim 1, wherein said overlapping pockets define passageways which cause cooling fluid to impinge on the flat channel areas with turbulence.
11. A device according to claim 1, including a semiconductor element to be cooled on the heat exchange surface of the heat sink member.
12. A device according to claim 11, wherein said passageways are within the areas of the semiconductor element.
13. A device according to claim 9, including means to cause coolant to spray against said channel areas.
14. A device according to claim 1, wherein said passageways define separate paths for cooling fluid.
15. A device according to claim 1, wherein said passageways define a sinuous path for coolant flow.
16. A device according to claim 1, including pocket diameters of 7/16 to 11/16 and pocket depths of 0.175 to 0.25 for coolant flow rates of 2 to 7 gallons per minute.
17. A device according to claim 6, wherein said wall is from 0.05 to 0.2 in thickness.
18. A device according to claim 1, wherein said wall is up to 0.2 in thickness.
19. A device according to claim 1, with essentially horizontal coolant flow in said flat channel areas adjacent said heat exchange surface.
20. A device according to claim 19, including essentially vertical cooling fluid flow between said pockets.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 28, 2000
July 10, 2001
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